WEA courses

Participate in a community sewing project with our Textiles and Fashion: Spring Community Sewing Project 2 course. Learn advanced sewing techniques while working on collaborative projects. Ideal for sewing enthusiasts looking to connect with others and contribute to community initiatives.

The role of the community interpreter is an integral part of our changing communities and increasingly important. The interpreter acts as a bridge between communities and enables people to access the services they need and approach situations which otherwise would not be possible. The Level 2 Certificate in Preparing for the Community Interpreting Role enables learners who are speakers of other languages to develop the language and skills necessary to go on and train as Community Interpreters at Level 3 and Level 4. This is the ideal qualification for anyone who wants to enter the interpreting profession and become a paid interpreter or volunteer in the UK. This course is funded by North East Combined Authority.

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Sarah Lucas and Lubaina Himid.

This is a pre-entry ESOL course, this course will give you some skills to communicate some basic ideas in English. Through a range of activities, you will develop skills to help you improve your all your four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing, with a focus on speaking and listening activities.

Develop foundational reading skills with this entry 1 English course for beginners. This English course is for speakers of other languages. It will help you learn basic English to study, work, and live in the UK. This ESOL reading course helps people who are just starting to learn English. It will help you gain confidence reading short texts and common words in English. There are also writing and speaking & listening courses at this level. If you’re helping others access ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place. What we’ll cover: - Learn to identify common English words in everyday situations. - Understand signs, symbols and texts you will come across. - Read information about timetables, prices, and schedules. - Understand the purpose of different texts, including adverts, posters, and news articles. - Understand how punctuation is used to help you read more easily.

Build on basic reading skills with these ESOL classes. This is an English course for beginners. It is aimed at speakers of other languages. ESOL courses help you learn basic English for life in the UK and improve your chances of finding work or study options. This ESOL entry 2 reading course builds on skills you learnt at entry 1. Grow your vocabulary and improve your reading skills in English. There are also writing and speaking & listening courses at this level. If you’re helping others find ESOL courses in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

Build on basic reading skills with these ESOL classes. This is an English course for beginners. It is aimed at speakers of other languages. ESOL courses help you learn basic English for life in the UK and improve your chances of finding work or study options. This ESOL entry 2 reading course builds on skills you learnt at entry 1. Grow your vocabulary and improve your reading skills in English. There are also writing and speaking & listening courses at this level. If you’re helping others find ESOL courses in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

Discover the art of mosaic making with our Craft: Beginners' Mosaics course. Learn basic techniques for creating beautiful mosaic designs. Ideal for beginners and craft enthusiasts looking to explore this ancient art form.

This five week course will introduce you to an often neglected area of the European short story, this being stories from the Netherlands. Each of the five stories can be found in The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories, which is the text we will work from. The stories for consideration and analysis are: Young Titans - Nescio. The Sirens - Maria Dermout. The Portrait - Hella Haasse. Paula - Cees Nooteboom. Sunrise Day - Margriet De Moor. The course will involve lectures, discussions and advice on further research into the subject. Each session will dissect a narrative and relate its context, meaning and style.

This course, composed of new texts, builds on similar courses on German literature given by Stephen Smith. Four novels and one poet will be analysed and placed in context over the 10 weeks’ duration of the course. The first text, The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, was actually written in 1938, but having recently been rediscovered, it is too good not to include. We will begin with this novel and then explore: Vertigo - WG Sebald. Lost - Hans Ulrich Treichel. Kairos - Jenny Erpenbeck. The Poetry of Durs Grunbein. The course will offer great scope for discussion of excellent texts, which are intellectually, imaginatively and emotional stimulating.